new brochure for DoubleHP horse sanctuary and learning center

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1uBEX-OCQkrzIwgOt6iShJugzLP0e7vdt1t-L_OdVFyA/edit

that's (above) a link to an online version of our new brochure. feel free to share. thanks.
oh, and feel free to call us if you want to schedule a natural horsemanship or equine assisted learning session. Riding or ground exercises. No previous horse experience necessary. Our horses will show you everything you need to know.

new volunteer and other sanctuary programs available at DoubleHP Horses

Horse Help Providers, Inc. (DoubleHP), a 501c3 nonprofit organization, has received Sanctuary Status from the Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries (GFAS).

DoubleHP, the first GFAS Sanctuary in South Dakota, has helped to rescue, rehab, and rehome hundreds of horses during the past 10 years. And now, fourteen rescued horses have a permanent sanctuary home with DoubleHP at their New Hope Horse Shelter near Crooks, SD. These rescued horses will participate in new Sanctuary programs such as equine assisted learning (communication, personal growth & learning, teambuilding, etc) and natural horsemanship activities (both riding and ground exercises available). People do not have to have any previous experience with horses to participate in these programs. Donations to help feed these sanctuary horses may be made to DoubleHP, 25337 470 Ave, Crooks SD 57020. Volunteers are also needed to clean stalls and pens and to help develop these and other new programs in DoubleHP's transition to Sanctuary Status. For more information, call (605) 359-0961 or email doublehphorses@alliancecom.net

DoubleHP is first GFAS Animal Sanctuary in South Dakota

here is a link to press release in PDF format
DoubleHP is first GFAS Sanctuary in South Dakota

Horse Help Providers, Inc. in South Dakota is Verified by Global Federation of Animal
SanctuariesMay 9, 2012 (Crooks, SD) – The Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries (GFAS), the only
globally recognized organization providing standards for identifying legitimate animal
sanctuaries, awarded Verified status to Horse Help Providers, Inc (DoubleHP) as of December
15, 2011.
Verification means that Horse Help Providers, Inc (Double HP) meets the criteria of a true
equine sanctuary/rescue and is providing humane and responsible care of the animals. To be
awarded Verified status, an organization must meet GFAS’s rigorous and peer-reviewed animal
care standards which are confirmed by a site visit and they must also adhere to a demanding
set of ethical and operational principles.
“We are very happy to announce the verification of Horse Help Providers, Inc. (DoubleHP). This
rescue is practicing effective equine care and excellent management of available resources.
DoubleHP has used it extensive experience with equine starvation cases to develop a highly
effective refeeding protocol. Nursing emaciated and abused horses back to health can be very
challenging and Double HP should be proud of the work they’ve done in their community,” said
Jeannine Alexander, Deputy Director – Equine, GFAS.
“Becoming a GFAS verified equine sanctuary is really such a huge honor!We are a small
facility compared to many other GFAS sanctuaries throughout the nation, yet we are held to the same high standards of horse care. We are proud of that. And extremely grateful for GFAS’s confidence in us, as the first GFAS verified sanctuary in South Dakota!Our volunteers and sponsors have kept us going for 10 years; our rescued horses have taught us all about being kind and forgiving and appreciating life. And GFAS has given us a new level of pride and
motivation to do even more – for the horses,” states Darci Hortness, Founder & Director.Horse Help Providers, Inc. (DoubleHP) was awarded a compliance grant by GFAS to help
make recommended improvements to meet Verification Standards. Compliance grant funding is
made possible through a grant from PetSmart Charities®.
The GFAS Equine Accreditation Program is made possible by generous grants from PetSmart
Charities® and The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals®.
About Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries
Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries (GFAS) is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization dedicated
to the sole purpose of strengthening and supporting the work of animal sanctuaries in the United
States and abroad. The goal of GFAS in working with and assisting sanctuaries is to ensure
they are supported, honored, recognized and rewarded for meeting important criteria in
providing care to the animals in residence. GFAS was founded in 2007 by animal protection
leaders from a number of different organizations in response to virtually unchecked and hidden
animal exploitation of animals for human entertainment and financial profit. These founding
leaders sit on the GFAS Board of Directors to continue guiding the organization’s work in a
collaborative manner. They represent top leadership from Born Free USA, The Humane Society
of the United States, World Society for the Protection of Animals, American Anti-Vivisection
Society, and International Fund for Animal Welfare.
For additional information on Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries, visit www.sanctuaryfederation.org

Horse Help Providers, Inc. (DoubleHP) has been the voice for horse welfare in South Dakota for the past ten years, setting an example for excellent horse care in South Dakota and inviting new and hopeful horse owners to come and learn from the best -- our rescued horses!Doing horse chores provides excellent physical exercise, caring for horses (feeding, grooming, etc.) is the best therapy, riding a rescued horse is an impossible-to-describe privilege, and DoubleHP offers these experiences. Along with programs in horse rescue and owner education, DoubleHP
promotes animal welfare and population control through their Spayngeld program (spay and
neuter of dogs & cats, and gelding/castration of colts/stallions).
For additional information on Horse Help Providers, Inc (DoubleHP), please visithttp://www.newhopehorses.org/ .

About PetSmart Charities®

Established in 1994, PetSmart Charities, Inc. is an independent, nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization
that creates and supports programs that save the lives of homeless pets, raise awareness of
companion animal welfare issues, and promote healthy relationships between people and pets.
The largest funder of animal welfare efforts in North America, PetSmart Charities® has provided
more than $134 million in grants and programs benefiting animal welfare organizations and has
helped save the lives of more than 4.7 million pets through its in-store adoption program. To
learn more about how PetSmart Charities is working toward its vision of a lifelong, loving home
for every pet, visit petsmartcharities.org or call 1-800-423-PETS (7387).
About the ASPCA®
Founded in 1866, the ASPCA® (The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to
Animals®) is the first humane organization established in the Americas and serves as the
nation’s leading voice for animal welfare.
One million supporters strong, the ASPCA’s mission is to provide effective means for the prevention of cruelty to animals throughout the United States.
As a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit corporation, the ASPCA is a national leader in the areas of anti-cruelty, community outreach and animal health services. The ASPCA, which is headquartered in
New York City, offers a wide range of programs, including a mobile clinic outreach initiative, its
own humane law enforcement team, and a groundbreaking veterinary forensics team and
mobile animal CSI unit. For more information, please visit www.aspca.org. To become a fan of
the ASPCA on Facebook, go to http://www.facebook.com/aspca. To follow the ASPCA on
Twitter, go to http://www.twitter.com/aspca.

Recipient of a changed life through horses

In February we had an intro. to equine assisted learning demo. here presented by Wendy Olson of The Way of The Horse. It looked something like this at times. Of course, the horses were the counselors here.

We decided to see how an equine assisted learning program would go here at our facility. And so, I just returned from EAGALA training. that is Equine Assisted Growth and Learning Association. I will be doing more training. We will be doing equine assisted learning here at New Hope Horse Shelter (DoubleHP) near Crooks, South Dakota; and our rescued horses will be part of the professional team of facilitators. We already have clients for corporate training type things: team building, communication, that sort of thing. And we welcome more clients for this summer and fall. Just give us a call if you are interested (605) 359-0961. In the EAGALA Code of Ethics, the horse is awarded full status as a professional. Is that awesome!!!!!!!

The training I attended was in KC. There were about 45 of us there. They have these trainings year-round all over the place, in many different countries. In KC we had participants from 10 different States. Ages 17-60 something. 4 husband-wife teams, 1 brother-sister team, 1 mother-daughter team. There was a farrier, horse trainers, missionaries, high school and college students, attorneys, counselors, therapists, psychiatrists, etc. I think what we have in common, for one thing, is what one of the facilitators said: recipients of a changed life through horses. Well, I know I am anyway. And our clients will be.

Lots of amazing stuff happened, of course.  But, on a light note, here are a couple of examples of why the horses are a part of the professional team (hee hee, this is kind of on the light side, but ya gotta stop and wonder sometimes): When we started talking about lunch time, the little white pony walked over to the door and grabbed on to the vine that was growing on the outside of the building, and began to munch away. And TWICE -- when the facilitator said, "well, it's time to wrap it up ..." two of the horses right then and there, no sooner and no later, lay down to roll. ok ok I know it's not ESP or anything. But, for 10 years, ever since we started DoubleHP, we have been talking about the "magic" of the horse, the Beauty and the Honesty and the "magic" of the horse. We don't really know how to explain it. "magic" seems close. It's not just us. OK? People all around the world believe in the special therapeutic and teaching capabilities of the horse. And we are going to bring it to you. Here. At New Hope Horse Shelter (DoubleHP), near Crooks/Sioux Falls. (605) 359-0961.

Updated Thank You Page

We updated our thank you page. you'll see the link in the tabs at the top of this page. If we forget to mention you, please let us know.
One of our new thank yous is to Jada. She has been selling dog cat horse treats as a fundraiser, and we are one of the orgs that received a donation from her! Here she is visiting Shadow in March.

DoubleHP horses glad to help the Oglala Pet Project

Yesterday we received a thank you letter from the Oglala Pet Project in South Dakota. Several of their volunteers attended our equine assisted learning workshop a couple of weeks ago. We encouraged them to apply for our Spayngeld (spay neuter gelding) funds. They did, our committee unanimously approved their application, we sent them some Spayngeld money, and they immediately sent us a nice thank you letter.
"Our organization works to help the Oglala people and their pets through education, spay/neuter support, pet health resources, and the re-homing or networking of abandoned, abused or unwanted pets," their letter explains.

We asked them what the funds would be used for. They sent us some examples.

Kate who had 9 puppies and all will be needing to be spayed & neutered after they are weaned. 

 Gordon who is living close to the Post Office.  He is being fed and treated for mange. 

(update: we have now seen updated photos of Gordon, he is looking much better and is getting ready to move from the Post Office to a real foster home to get ready for adoption!)

and Cante.  He's been in a foster home since before Christmas.  He was starving, mangy, eyes matted shut, & feral. 

We are very happy to help the Oglala Pet Project. Thanks again to all who contributed to our 2012 Spayngeld program. We have more Spayngeld funds available for other animal welfare groups or individual pet owners; our application is accessible here on this web/blogsite. call if you have any questions about it. thanks. 605 359-0961

Could sure use some volunteer help at the horse shelter this week

Our main day-time chore helper is gone all week. So, if you are interested in getting in some volunteer hours, please give us a call. 359-0961. We are 501c3. One or more days would be very helpful. And it's excellent exercise too! Not overly heavy or difficult, but it does keep you moving.

Last March and April were so so busy with rescues and court/legal type activity. In fact, it was March 6, 2011, that we got the call about Shadow and Bella. That they were standing in a cattle feedlot (authorities called it an animal shelter, ha!) with a herd of horses eating cornstalks and getting no medical attention after they had been starved again. And, they were headed for the loose horse sale in a few days! Some rescue, huh? So life got frantic here for a while. The result was good. We rescued Shadow and Bella. But we did not get enough donations to rescue any of the others. And some did go to slaughter.

So anyway, if all I have to do is horse chores this year in March, I will not complain. Much. Though I could sure use a little help this week. It's going to be muddy now with these warm temps, and we often feed all 17 horses in their stalls when it's so muddy out. It's amazing how quiet 17 horses can be, just the happy munching noises. So just call if you want to help out. 359-0961. thanks.

here's a little picture story from 2 days ago, this past Sunday.

in the afternoon, the horses coming into the barn area for grain time and supper. and some of them get to go riding at this time, some brushing and hoof cleaning, and they are all observed for lameness issues or anything else that may not seem normal.

 Pretty sure Shadow and Bella are having a much happier March this year than last year.

Shadow's ready to work. Though he and Minerva both made faces about it at first.



Where would you like me to put this, Heidi?

So, I'll just watch for a while and see how Heidi does it. (Bella was afraid to even look)

ok, think I got it!

Bella really wasn't very helpful. Very affectionate though. Appreciative of her new home and good food most likely.